What Does an Element’s Atomic Number Tell Us
Atomic Number of an element tell us about the number of proton in the nucleus of the atom. Proton is the positively charged species found in the nucleus of the element. The atomic number of element is unique for each element. This means the number of protons in different element is different. We often get confused that atomic number is the number of electrons but it is wrong. Atomic number of an element is equal to number of electrons in an element in its ground state only. This is because elements can lose, gain or share electrons for their stability but they can’t share protons. Hence, atomic number of an element tell us about the number of protons in the element which ultimately tell about the unique property of each element.
First 20 Elements of Periodic Table – Name and Symbols
Elements are the purest form of matter which has only one type of atoms. There are total 118 elements found till date. These elements are arranged in a tabular form in increasing order of atomic number such that elements with common properties are arranged together. This tabular arrangement of elements is called Periodic Table of Elements. In this article, we will learn first twenty elements with atomic number 1 to 20 along with their properties.